Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

re: Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

fb0252 — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 19:00:50 GMT

before fans and many others sign up for Whoa and this fed control nonsense, u might consider why 95% of those on the horse side, trainers, owners, jocks, grooms etc. oppose exactly the general sophistry in this post. Please note, as one e.g.--on the Whoa website is a statement--in black and white--that racing already has/had 90% uniformity in its rules, and that was 1989. Why then is "uniformity" a pillar stone of this post? there were no illegals in the PETA vid. JC report shows around 40 illegals tests in "five" years. So, what's the real motive here?

re: Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

merasmag — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 07:49:44 GMT

WHOA-didn't the author write he worked AGAINST previous legislation? A few law journal articles are hardly reason to change anyone's mind on anything, they are written by law students for their resumes and I, for one, cannot think of an easier subject. The only point to be grasped here is no racing body will submit to or pay for enforcement unless it is federally mandated. PERIOD.

re: Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

sceptre — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 20:57:03 GMT

Racing needs a complete overhaul--for the singular purpose of better protecting the life and well-being of the horse. The Pitts-Udall Bill of 2013 was flawed, based on insufficient research, and disregarded present scientific knowledge. The doctrines of WHOA are similarly flawed. The focus should be on the horse, and not the health of the racing industry. The leaders should be chosen from those with true merit, rather than those merely well known, or well fixed.

re: Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

Needler in Virginia — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 03:21:38 GMT

While I applaud your optimism, PastyK, I doubt its' validity. Racing has proven it WILL NOT govern itself when it comes to drugs, and recently there have been some more than glaring proofs of that; Rick Dutrow ring any bells? How long did it take, and how egregious did his actions have to be to get him banned for 10 years?

WHOA is the organization to lead, and Mr Bonnie's article should be its' guidelines.

'Nuf said. The gorilla is now well and truly in the room. Racing saw it outside the door, and did nothing. Racing heard it knocking at the door and did nothing. Racing saw it opening the door and STILL did nothing. Sadly, my cynical and pessimistic view is coming true. Laws must be passed to force people to do the right thing. It's time to pass those laws.

Cheers and safe trips.

re: Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

Sail On — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 23:32:19 GMT

Eliminating drugs on racing days is a no-brainer, a first step, but what about training days? We have read that far too many horses are subjected to training while on drugs that mask the seriousness of their injuries, and subsequently suffer catastrophic breakdown during training. This urgently needs to be addressed.

re: Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

PatsyK — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 19:45:32 GMT

This is one of the best articles written on this subject to be published in a widely read journal/magazine. There is no emotion, just facts and rational reasons as to why serious changes are needed, as well as concrete recommendations. While the PETA reports has resulted in much discussion there is much emotion and at least in the parts made public no appropriate recommendations. This is such an excellent article because it documents efforts and failures over a long long time and shows the problems are not going away, not getting better. I continue to choose to believe that the industry is plagued with inertia rather than to believe that there is a large enough contingent of "bad apples" who believing that winning at any cost is the way to do business. I hope more and more influential people will get on the WHOA bandwagon.

re: Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

Lmaris — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 19:25:52 GMT

Thank you! Well said!

re: Ned Bonnie: Why I'm Joining WHOA

lysa slater — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 18:07:22 GMT

Beautiful. Perfectly stated. Thirty years of this nonsense. It must stop! The 38 racing jurisdictions have had their chance to right the wrongs in their individual jurisdictions. They haven't. And now it is time for change. Time for the US to approach this terrible problem differently than it has for the past 30 years. I am just a fan, but I recently joined WHOA as well. The list of membership in WHOA includes the royalty of US racing. I encourage others to look into this organization and consider joining too.